You might have seen that the 2018-19 Manchester United kit was launched during the week.

The main thrust of the promotional campaign has been to hark back to the railway links that United’s forerunner Newton Heath had, with the grading on the shirt and socks said to somehow resemble tracks.

That’s fine – every club uses PR bullshit when bringing out a new kit – but what is worthy of far more comment is the fact that, for the first time since Newtown Heath became Manchester United, the first-choice shorts are black, while red plays a prominent role on the home socks for the first time since the early 1970s.

Though I don't object to wearing black shorts as that's what United occasionally don. I think it's nice for red socks to make a return with the home kit in almost 50 years but making them both part of the primary outfit, especially in the same turn, is not the way to go.